Shocking the Penis for Erectile Dysfunction
There are millions of men who suffer from the agonizing disorder -erectile dysfunction. Viagra has helped many people with this problem, but the medication does not come cheap and is also associated with some rare side effects like heart attacks and vision problems. Now a new treatment has been introduced to treat people with erectile dysfunction- shock the genitals is a nice way.
The latest research shows that shockwaves directed at the penis can help a few men with erectile dysfunction. Says scientist, Yoram Vardi, head of neuro-urology at the Ramban Medical center in Haifa, Israel, “We can really reverse erectile problems with this. While patients with erectile dysfunction can function with Viagra or Cialis, this is not a cure – when they stop the medication, they cannot function. This is only a preliminary study, but here with shockwaves, we can do something biological for the problem – after treatments, these patients can function without the need for medication.”
Animal studies conducted by the researchers revealed that low intensity shockwaves trigger growth of new blood vessels and this somehow improves blood flow.
Adds to Dr Vardi, “Cardiovascular problems are responsible for approximately 80 percent of patients with erectile dysfunction, so that’s a huge amount of patients.”
Dr Vardi and his team treated 20 volunteers with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction for 3 years. During each session, a device applied shock waves at different locations on their penis. The treatments were done twice a week on a regular basis.
What they observed was that after a course of 300 shockwaves, 15/20 patients improved. There were no negative effects in the study but it is not known how long the effects remain.
While this is a great therapy, some experts question the results, Dildos and vibrators have been around for about 50 years and millions of people use them on a regular basis. The use of these sexual appliances has not resulted in an improvement in erectile dysfunction, and so the results of Dr Vardi have to be taken with a grain of salt, until proven otherwise.